UGA to host symposium on the complexities of the United States' patent system

Athens, Ga. - The University of Georgia will host a symposium on James Bessen and Michael J. Meurer's book Patent Failure: How Judges, Bureaucrats, and Lawyers Put Innovators at Risk on March 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Dean Rusk Hall on North Campus. This event is presented by the University of Georgia School of Law, the Terry College of Business, the Terry College of Business Department of Economics and the University of Georgia Research Foundation.

"Patent Failure is a stunning new work of undeniable importance to anyone interested in intellectual property," School of Law Post Professor of Law and conference co-convener Paul J. Heald said. "This conference will explore the authors' claims that the patent system has fallen short in providing predictable legal boundaries and examine the implications of those claims."

The symposium will consist of three panel sessions providing reactions to Bessen and Meurer's book from the viewpoint of legal scholars, industry specialists and economists. Key panelists will include: Robert Armitage, senior vice-president and general counsel for Eli Lilly and Company; Robert Hunt, senior economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; Mark Lemley, Neukom Professor of Law at Stanford Law School; Ronald Mann, Professor of Law at Columbia Law School; F.M. Scherer, Professor of Public Policy and Corporate Management in the Aetna Chair Emeritus at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; and John Squires, vice-president, chief patent counsel and associate general counsel for Goldman Sachs.

"The panelists and session chairs are all very well versed in the area of intellectual property and should provide participants with valuable new insights both in reference to Bessen and Meurer's book and to patent law in general," Heald said. "Any student or practitioner involved in the areas of intellectual property, economics, industrial organization or pharmaceuticals should make it a priority to attend."